AEBC/T-Base Scholarship

The 2019 AEBC/T-Base Scholarship Program is now closed. Should you wish to be notified when the next round of applications will be released (February 2020), please e-mail scholarship@blindcanadians.ca and we will add you to our distribution list.

The scholarships are open to blind, partially sighted and deafblind students planning to attend post-secondary studies.

For information on the previous year’s scholarship program and its winners, please visit this link.

The T-Base Communications Scholarship

This year, there will be two T-Base Communications Scholarships, valued at $1,000 each. They are designed to help students pursue their educational endeavors and are not limited to any one discipline. These scholarships will be awarded for the 2019-2020 academic year beginning in the fall semester of 2019.

About T-Base Communications

T-Base is North America’s go-to alternate format company and industry thought leader. We simplify accessible communications by producing textbooks, secure tests and exams and other instructional materials (for complex STEM subjects) in braille, large print, audio, e-Text, EPUB, as well as online with web accessibility and PDF documents.

The AEBC Scholarship

Two AEBC Scholarships (worth $1,000 each) will be offered. We are honoured that, for the third year in a row, an anonymous donor has made these two awards possible.

About The Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians

The Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians is a national charitable organization, founded in 1992, that is dedicated to promoting the increased inclusion of blind, deafblind and partially sighted Canadians in all aspects of social life, from employment to participation in elections. Our members, comprised of blind, deafblind, and partially sighted consumers and supporters from across the country, participate in working groups and committees, engage with local, city-based chapters, and engage in public awareness and education activities on a daily basis.

Criteria

Scholarships will be awarded on the basis of

Academic performance;

Community involvement; and

Overcoming adversity.

While each criterion will contribute in the overall evaluation process, equal weight will not be applied when determining a final score. Rather, each criterion will serve to assist in distinguishing the exceptionalities and strengths among the candidates.

To be eligible for this scholarship program, applicants must meet all of the following qualifications:

They must be blind, deafblind or partially sighted. For our purposes, one is considered to be “blind” if he/she has no vision or only light perception in the better of the two eyes, and “partially sighted” if he/she has a visual acuity of 20/60 or less (as measured on the Snellan eye chart) in the better eye with best correction, or if the visual field measures less than twenty degrees.

They must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada.

They must be attending (or planning to attend) a post-secondary institution during the period between September 2019 and April 2020 on at least a part-time basis (i.e. taking the equivalent of at least two courses per semester).

They must be studying at either the undergraduate or graduate level, or in college, vocational, educational upgrading, or performing arts programs.

They must be studying (or planning to study) at a post-secondary institution in Canada. However,

Canadian citizens or permanent residents studying abroad under an exchange program and paying fees to a Canadian educational institution are also eligible, as are students who choose to study abroad due to a lack of a similar program in Canada, failure to be accepted into a Canadian program, or the clear superiority of a program abroad.

Please note: scholarship winners will be required to provide their social insurance numbers for income tax purposes. Scholarships are taxable items and must be reported when income tax returns are filed.

Previous applicants or past recipients of AEBC scholarships and T-Base Communications scholarships are eligible to reapply if qualified.

How to Apply

Eligible applicants will be considered for the T-Base Communications and AEBC scholarships; a separate application for each is not required.

Applications may be submitted in either English or French. Please double check that the application is complete before submitting it. A complete application comprises the following four items:

The application form. Download the application form in English (as a Microsoft Word document). Download the application form in French (as a Microsoft Word document).

A copy of the applicant’s most recent transcript. This need not be an official copy – a printout from the school’s website is acceptable. We may ask for an official copy at a later date.

A personal essay covering the following topics, not to exceed four pages in total (approximately 2000 words): (a) A personal statement: This is an opportunity for the applicant to describe him/herself, provide background on his/her visual condition (and any additional medical or disability information that may be relevant), the applicant’s academic goals, interests, school activities, work experience, and so on. In this essay, please answer this question: “What barriers or obstacles have you faced and conquered in your life as a result of your disability?” This may include financial hardship. Please do not simply send a resume. (b) “Accessible education”: The applicant should tell us how accessibility in learning makes a difference in his/her education. It should explain which format (e.g. print, large print, Braille, audio, etc.) is most important for his/her success as a student and why. NOTE: We can only know applicants through the information they provide. Please be thorough. (c) A reflection on the applicant’s community involvement: The applicant should tell us about the activities he/she has been a part of as a means to give back to the community. In addition, the applicant should briefly explain the role and importance of community involvement in his/her life. NOTE: We can only know applicants through the information they provide. Please be thorough.

One letter of reference: Each Applicant must include one letter of reference (must be current—written in the last 12 months) from an individual who can comment in detail on the applicant’s academic progress, personal strengths, and any other aspects of his/her life that support the application. The individual may be an employer or supervisor, clergy member, academic advisor, department head, academic planner, etc. If possible, this reference letter should be forwarded with the application package. If the reference would prefer to send it directly to AEBC, please ensure that he/she clearly indicates in his/her email the student applicant’s name.

Each part of the application should be submitted as a separate electronic file, preferably in Microsoft Word (.DOC or .DOCX), Rich Text (.RTF), or plain text (.TXT) format. Only the above formats will be accepted. Some members of the scholarship committee are themselves blind, and picture files (.JPG, .GIF, .PNG, etc.) are not accessible. Adobe Acrobat (.PDF) files may or may not be accessible to users who are blind; therefore, if possible, please avoid them. (We understand, however, that some documents, such as transcripts, may only come in one format from an institution.)

Please attach all of these documents to an email message and send them to: scholarship@blindcanadians.ca

Contact

Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians
Marcia Yale
Chairperson of the Student and Education Council Committee
1-800-561-4774
yale@blindcanadians.cahttp://www.blindcanadians.ca